FSA GOES GLOBAL
A ground-breaking moment in New Zealand and West Indian cricket history beckons with the opening of the Franklyn Stephenson Academy in Tauranga, New Zealand on August 4, 2024.
The Franklyn Stephenson Academy (FSA) was the brainchild of the man himself and has been a fixture in St.James, Barbados after his playing days. The FSA in Tauranga will be the first ever outside of the Caribbean and part of an exciting project to spread the beautiful game of authentic cricket to the young boys and girls of the world.
For FSA New Zealand Director, Dave Agnew, the opportunity to open the academy couldn’t come a minute sooner. “Genuine cricket opportunities for our kids are almost completely gone and I have to thank Franklyn for allowing us to bring his academy and vision down to Tauranga, he’s been super supportive of our cricket goals.”
After a stellar professional career, Stephenson - the inventor of the slower ball and last man ever to complete the 1000 run/100 wicket County double after Sir Richard Hadlee - dedicated himself to coaching the keen young children in Barbados and has over a dozen practice wickets at his academy HQ that he constructed himself. Accepting players from all the globe is the norm for Stephenson but Agnew saw an opportunity for his local scene to inject some meaningful cricket.
“It’s crazy actually. I was looking at overseas academies for something different for my son and my conversations with Franklyn ended up with me asking if I could open one in New Zealand. It’s evolved quite beautifully.”
The coaching strategy at FSA academies focuses on the foundation skills and knowledge of young players to help them reach their potential and maximise enjoyment in the game, whether that is in social or serious cricket.
“Developmental skills like discipline, respect, teamwork, resilience and mental agility are a few gifts of cricket that FSA is excited to pass on to the next generation. We believe the fundamental benefits of cricket are lifelong and serve the kids well in their chosen futures,” Agnew said.
The FSA also brings a renewed emphasis on cricket’s rich culture and what makes it beautiful and diverse, dynamic and unpredictable. Although coaching and developing the skill of the young players is at the core of FSA values and operations, membership will also provide opportunities for longer form cricket, festivals and overseas tours. With the inaugural FSA Barbados Tour & Festival in late September/October 2025 first up, the FSA boys from Barbados return to visit New Zealand in late March 2026.
“Barbados is the Home of Cricket,” Agnew said, “they adore it and many of the core values of the game are still intact - we are bouncing off the walls for our Spring Tour next year. Even better, Franklyn will bring teams down here in March 2026 and most of the kids, and supporters, will know each other.”
Beach Cricket in Barbados.
With the academy opening to a small group for the first six weeks, registrations open on July 29th for the summer ahead with planned opportunities for hard ball cricketers between Years 7 and 12.
“We are all cricket coaches at FSA. We love the game and adding in some of that West Indian colour and fun into the sport in New Zealand is what we need. The future is very bright - orange and green bright.”